Medieval Chandelier

Here’s a lightweight, semi portable chandelier. I made this a few years ago, and in hindsight I feel it would have been better to use a Cross halving joint for its structure. I appreciate the use of Woodworking joints; but I wanted to design something that even the beginner woodworker could do, so I simplified the design to a strict use of dowel joints. Dowel joints will also allow you to recycle wooden panels (Chipboard, MDF etc.) for this project.

First and foremost, I strongly recommend using a Drill Press for all the holes in this Instructable. Especially the central hole for the eye bolt – the entire chandelier will appear wonky if you drill that at even the slightest angle. Details on how to construct a bulky drill press can be found here

Depth
To completely submerge the candles, drill each of the 40mm holes to a depth of 15mm (Optional). You don’t HAVE to do this, but it’s worth drilling each hole to the same depth so the candles aren’t at varying heights.

Dowel Placement
Being as the finished Chandelier will be viewed from below, I lined the dowel joints up as best as I could. Use a Marking gauge for the ‘end grain’ holes, or if you have a dowel jig for precise positioning then that’ll do too!

Step 2: Piece Two

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These are the additional pieces that will complete the Cross Design; simple enough to construct.

Step 3: Piece Three

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Although it’s a little tricky to make out in the picture, the Central hole will be bigger to match the thread of your eye bolt (6mm).

Step 4: Complete

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Glue
A pea sized dollop of PVA glue (in each joint) will seal this up nicely!

Assembly
Make sure you assemble this Chandelier on a large, flat and sturdy table. Being such an awkward shape, it’ll take up a fair amount of room and you may want to use Sash Cramps while the glue dries.

How to suspend it
I’ve left this entirely up to you guys. If the inspirational picture (Page 1) is anything to go by, it could be suspended from a rope & pulley system. I used black japanned chain myself, although the Chandelier is fairly lightweight and a plastic chain would have been fine also.
If you do decide to use rope, I’d be mindful of where you suspend the rope. The obvious hazard would be the rope catching on the flames.

Final Note
Feel free to drop a comment if you’re unsure of anything! Thanks